Cycle sport's governing body to push cycling as transport

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) wants to start advocating for transport and recreational cycling. The Switzerland-based governing body for global cycle sport is advertising for a campaigns manager, saying it wishes to "contribute to campaigns and initiatives that promote cycling in the widest sense, as a mean of transport and recreation."

A plaque that has graced the UCI's HQ in Aigle for some years states that the organisation represents more than one billion everyday cyclists around the world although, to date, it has mainly focussed on the sport of cycling. The UCI has not previously employed staff dedicated to everyday cycling but it has partnered with the European Cyclists' Federation to fund and publicise a global cycling impact study for use as a tool to advocate for greater investment in cycling.

The new role will be an "opportunity for someone who believes in the power of cycling to change people's lives and make a big difference."

The campaigns manager will work "with other organisations involved in promoting cycling and where appropriate, facilitate official UCI support for those organisations’ initiatives" and will "develop opportunities at UCI events for athletes, teams and participants to endorse campaigns to promote cycling as a healthy, low-impact sport and form of transport."

The move into recreational cycling mirrors an earlier and similar mission-expansion by British Cycling. The president of the UCI is Brian Cookson, a former president of British Cycling.

The UCI was founded in Paris in 1900 and represents the interests of 180 or so national cycling federations.It also promotes a number of its own events, including the UCI Road World Championships, an iconic annual event, and a wide range of other UCI World Championships and World Cups across various cycling disciplines.